On Wednesday night, borough council voted unanimously to appoint Jason Van Dame to its vacant seat, and the Jenkins Avenue resident said he’s ready to do his part for his town.

“As a parent, I try to teach my children to be good citizens. I prefer to lead by example rather than just using our words, and as a citizen I think it’s our duty to step up and contribute in our society,” Van Dame said.

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He and resident Jeffrey Howard of Chestnut Street both applied to fill the vacant council seat in Ward 1, a seat vacated by former councilman Paul Clemente at the end of December.

“Jason’s my neighbor, I know he’s a good guy, and we knew there was no downside,” said Howard, as the two shook hands after the meeting.

Both candidates gave brief introductions to council and the public toward the end of Wednesday night’s council meeting, each describing their background and how they found themselves in Lansdale. Both submitted letters of interest to borough council after the seat opened at the beginning of the year, and both said they were interviewed face-to-face by several borough council members before Wednesday night’s vote.

Van Dame was born and raised in Lansdale and grew up on Delaware Avenue, currently living in his great-grandparents’ former home on Jenkins Avenue. He told council he’s a self-employed contractor specializing in residential carpentry and remodeling, coaches for Lansdale Little League, serves as a den leader for Cub Scout Park 62 and is a vice-president with the Iron Eagles motorcycle club, which raises thousands for Manna on Main Street each year - and yes, he’s considering running for a full four year council term in the fall.

“As a taxpayer and a property owner in the borough, I have a vested interest in ensuring the welfare of this community, both near and long term,” he said.

“As a person, I feel it’s important to constantly look for ways to better oneself, and better those around you, and I think this position can help me do both,” Van Dame said.

Howard has lived in the borough since 1996 and has a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in civil engineering from East Stroudsburg University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1980 through 1997, earning the rank of major, before leaving to work in the restaurant industry for over a decade. As his career “became less nomadic” he has served on the borough’s police pension board of trustees.

“As the years passed, through some great neighbors, friends made, honest business relationships, community organizations and functions, Lansdale surpassed my needs and became my home,” he said.

“If you select me, I would consider it an honor and a privilege, and I will work as hard as I could to met the needs of the borough, its citizens, and this council,” Howard said.

Council President Matt West and several other council members were effusive in their praise of both candidates for applying to fill the vacant seat through the end of the year. West said selecting between the two became an “exercise in qualitative discernment; we were really challenged with identifying the best candidate out of two great candidates. It was a little like splitting hairs.”

Councilman Dan Dunigan nominated Van Dame to fill the vacancy and several of his fellow council members seconded the motion before the unanimous vote, but after praise for both.

Fellow Ward 1 council member Mary Fuller said she would be “happy to serve with either one of you” and Steve Malagari, the other Ward 1 representative, asked both to “please stay involved in any capacity possible.”

West said after the meeting that the position of council vice president previously held by Clemente would likely come up for a vote in February, since “it wouldn’t be fair to ask a new candidate to vote, or to not be considered” for that position.

Borough council’s next meeting is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Borough Hall, 1 Vine St. For more information or a meeting agenda visit www.Lansdale.org or follow @LansdalePA on Twitter.

Follow staff writer Dan Sokil on Twitter @DanSokil.

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